Staff Report
City Council
Item No. {{section.number}}.C
Meeting Date: June 25, 2025
From: Andrew Firestein, Director of Community and Economic Development Title: Zoning Ordinance Amendment 25-0003
RECOMMENDATION:
Find Zoning Ordinance Amendment 25-0003 exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act, introduce an ordinance amending Title 9 Planning and Zoning of the Cathedral City Municipal Code to add Chapter 9.09 (Public Notification and Community Meetings) and to amend Chapters 9.05, 9.52, 9.72, 9.74, 9.76, and 9.78 to delete existing provisions that conflict with new Chapter 9.09 relating to public notification requirements.
BACKGROUND:
Based on a request by the Planning Commission, led by Commissioner Mead, to evaluate the City’s public noticing requirements to consider expanding the notification provisions so that residents in apartment complexes and similar nonowner occupied communities could be provided notice of public hearings on projects in proximity to their homes, the Planning Commission held discussions, on March 5th and April 16th, 2025, to discuss proposed changes to the zoning code to provide such notice.
For reference purposes, certain land use applications, such as conditional use permits, variances, and subdivisions are subject to noticed public hearings before the Planning Commission. Legislative applications, such as general plan amendments and zone changes require noticed public hearings before both the Planning Commission and City Council.
The California Government Code establishes standards for the content of the public notice as well as the timing of providing the notice. Cathedral City follows the provisions of the Government Code, requiring publishing of the public hearing notice and the mailing of notices.
As it pertains to mailed notices, Government Code section 65091 establishes that written notice must be provided at least 10 days prior to the public hearing. For zoning amendments that affect permitted uses on real property, notice of the Planning Commission meeting must be provided at least 20 days prior to the public hearing.
The hearing notice must also be:
• Mailed to the property owner of the subject property; and • Mailed to the property all property owners within a 300-foot radius of the property, and • Mailed or delivered to each local agency that provides services, e.g. water, sewer, etc.
The Government Code also allows the local jurisdiction to expand the requirements in any other manner it deems necessary or desirable.
During the Planning Commission meetings, staff presented research results of the notification requirements of cities within and outside of the Coachella Valley and presented a menu of options for expanded notification and community participation for consideration.
The research results of other cities are shown below:
City/Agency Notification Radius Additional Requirements Coachella Valley
Cathedral City 300 feet None
Coachella 300 feet 500 feet for wireless telecommunication facilities
Desert Hot Springs 300 feet None
Indian Wells 300 feet Notice to tenants and property
managers of commercial property,
owner’s associations
Indio 500 feet •Onsite posting
•Neighborhood meeting
La Quinta 500 feet None
Palm Desert 500 feet
1,000 feet for sites of
5 acres or more
•HOAs in a common interest
developments
•Noticing of ARC meetings that will
require PC/CC approval
•On-site signs
•Community Engagement
Palm Springs 500 feet Onsite posting
Rancho Mirage 500 feet 1,000 feet if mailed notices are less than 25 County of Riverside 300 feet Onsite posting with legislative application
Outside of Coachella Valley
Irvine 500 feet Onsite posting
Ontario 300 feet Onsite posting
Moreno Valley 600 feet None
Rancho Cucamonga 660 feet Onsite posting for large projects, high intensity projects, an EIR, or legislative
acts
Temecula 600 feet Onsite posting
Based on the discussions and direction of those meetings to amend the zoning code to provide expanded public notification requirements, Zoning Ordinance Amendment 25-0003 was presented to the Planning Commission at a noticed public hearing on May 21, 2025.
The zoning amendment proposes to add Chapter 9.09 Public Notification and Community Engagement to the zoning code and also proposes revisions to several existing sections of the zoning code to ensure consistency with new Chapter 9.09. These changes are included in the attached Ordinance as Exhibits A and B. For easy reference, redlines of Exhibits A and B are also provided in this agenda report as Attachments 2 and 3.
DISCUSSION:
New Chapter 9.09 Public Notification and Community Meeting The Planning Commission’s recommended zoning code amendments are summarized below:
Notification
Standard
Draft Ordinance Provisions Summary
Notification radius •Increase to 500 feet for all
projects
•Increase to 750 feet for project
sites of 5 acres or more
The notification radius for projects
subject to public hearings, is
proposed to be increased, to
encompass more properties within
notification radius. The larger the
project site, the larger the mailing
radius. This increase is consistent
with many cities in the Valley.
Notice provided to: •Real property owners and
occupants within the project
site and mandated radius
•Tenants within commercial
properties
•Residents within apartment
complexes and similar
communities
The recommendation also proposes
expanding the mailed notification
requirements to include renters,
occupants and tenants within
commercial properties. This is the
most meaningful change as it goes
beyond the minimum standard of
only provided notice to real property
owners within the notification radius
and speaks to the Commission’s
desire to provide notice to renters,
occupants and business owners.
Only those residents, renters and
commercial tenants within the City
will receive notification, as this
information is not readily available.
Community
engagement
•Require neighborhood
outreach for discretionary
projects on project sites of 5
or greater and establishes
procedures
Another most significant change
proposed is to require applicants to
conduct a community engagement
meeting. This outreach effort is
already in place in the Cities of Indio
and Palm Desert.
The proposed provisions for
community engagement require the
applicant to present the project to
property owners, occupants, and
renters within the applicable mailing
radius. The meeting must be held in
proximity to the project site and
within reasonable hours.
This is an applicant led meeting.
Staff may or may not attend, and if
staff does attend it is for
informational purposes only.
The community meeting is required
to be held no more than 30 days
prior to or no later than 20 days after
application submittal. A summary
report is required to be submitted to
the City prior to the scheduling of any
public meeting.
The summary report includes copies
of the mailed notice, sign in sheets,
copies of written and plans
presented, copies of written
comments, if any, and a summary of
the issues or concerns raised. The
summary report is reviewed by staff,
but the City’s is not bound by any
agreements made between the
applicant and the community
members
Onsite public hearing
signs
•This requirement was removed Given the amendments already proposed to expand notification
efforts, this requirement was
removed and could be re-considered
in the future.
Existing code sections to be amended
Attachment 3 is a redline version of existing sections within the zoning code that require amendment to eliminate conflicts with proposed Chapter 9.09. Additionally, for clarity and predictability, it is more appropriate to have a centralized section in the zoning code that address public notification requirements.
Environmental Review:
The proposed zoning code amendment is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3), referred to as the common-sense exemption which states that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA.
The proposed amendment will establish public notification requirements for projects subject to public hearings and provide for community engagement of certain projects. These requirements do not have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Other than Staff and City Attorney costs, implementation of the ordinance will not adversely impact the City’s fiscal resources as the City’s fee resolution recoups staff costs associated with public noticing requirements.
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
Goal F - EMBRACING, INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY
Objective: Cathedral City is valued and respected as a community that welcomes and embraces diversity, has an abundance of high quality and affordable housing options and vibrant businesses. Our neighborhoods are attractive, well-maintained, and issues surrounding homelessness have been compassionately addressed with thoughtful, coordinated, and collaborative programs.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Draft Ordinance – Public Notification Provisions
2. Redline of proposed Chapter 9.09 Public Notification and Community Engagement
3. Redline of proposed revisions to existing code provisions
4. Notice of Exemption